The MCU Fantastic 4 movie currently has a release date of February 2025, so it’s still a few years away, but the rumors are already beginning to fly. In fact, it strongly looks like Marvel Studios is already starting to set up the arrival of MCU Doctor Doom, Reed Richards, and more, Here are all the major leaks that point to just that.
Rumor: MCU Reed Richards cast for Ant-Man 3
It was reported that William Jackson Harper has joined the cast of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, but more importantly, that his role is a “closely guarded secret.” This strongly suggests that Harper’s character will be an important one. He has long since been a popular fan cast for the role of Mr. Fantastic himself, Reed Richards. After this was announced (and confirmed by Harper on Twitter), fans immediately assumed the role was Richards.
While there is no strong proof that Reed Richards will be in February’s Ant-Man 3 — even leaks suggest that William Jackson Harper will be a different character — the movie’s antagonist Kang the Conqueror is best known as a Fantastic Four villain, so it would be perfect to have Richards there to face him.
Leak: Doctor Doom in the Black Panther credits scene
In July 2022, it was reported by leaker Daniel Richtman/DanielRPK that none other than Fantastic Four villain Doctor Doom would appear in November’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as part of a post-credits scene. More recently, this leak has seemingly been debunked by other leakers and critics who saw the movie at its premiere on October 26, who say that the mid-credits scene is “super sweet” but doesn’t feature Victor von Doom.
However, the rumor persists due to the absence of any second post-credits scene in the premiere’s cut. As MCU movies traditionally have at least two post-credits scenes, it is possible that Marvel is holding back the Doctor Doom one until the general release. Fans won’t know for sure until Wakanda Forever releases on November 11.
Leak: MCU Fantastic 4 villain is not Doctor Doom
According to critic and insider Jeff Sneider on John Rocha’s The Hot Mic podcast, Doctor Doom is not the villain in the new Fantastic Four movie. In contradiction with the Wakanda Forever rumor, Sneider was told that not only would Victor von Doom not be in Fantastic Four, but he also won’t appear in the MCU at all until that movie’s post-credits scene.
The main point in this rumor’s favor is that Doctor Doom has been the primary villain in all three previous Fantastic Four movies. Nevertheless, Doom is arguably Marvel’s most popular villain that the studio still hasn’t used in the MCU, so there is no chance it will keep him on the sidelines for long. With Avengers: Secret Wars coming up the year after Fantastic Four, Doom plays an important part in the comic so may play an equally important role in the movie.
